Do you love spicy food? Is even just the thought of your favorite hot sauce, perhaps sriracha, getting your taste buds excited? Well, you might be addicted to the spice, and not just because of the taste. You see, when you have spicy food to eat, the body releases endorphins, which in turn cause you to feel good.
How Do the Endorphins Work?
Endorphins are chemicals. They pass along signals through the neurons of the brain and they are produced from various stimuli that happens to a person. When a person feels stress, pain, or fear, the endorphins are released. They provide the body with a natural high that can help to block the sensation of pain and help a person feel good. It is what helps them to feel a “rush” in some cases. People jump out of planes and do similar extreme activities to induce this feeling.
We’ve found out that capsaicin and endorphins can do much the same thing. So, eating hot peppers might not be as gusty as bungee jumping, unless perhaps you are eating an extremely hot pepper, but it can cause a release of endorphins in the body. It provides a feeling of euphoria, and that might be the reason you keep coming back to those spicy foods. You know they will burn, but you like the taste, and you really like the feeling that you get when you eat spicy cuisine.
When the food is extremely hot, the endorphin release could be even greater. Some people who eat extremely hot items, such as a YouTuber named Ted Barrus, say that they might go through 20 minutes of pain while they are eating spicy foods. However, he says he then has about 40 minutes of euphoria. To him, the pain is worth it. Many people feel this way.
How Can Capsaicin and Endorphins Help You?
While that runner’s high might be great, you will be happy to know that there are other ways that you can use the capsaicin and endorphins to help different aspects of your life. Some have been using capsaicin to induce endorphins and to help them with their anxiety. While this is not a common treatment, it might be something you will want to talk with your doctor about if you suffer from anxiety. If you already like spicy food, you might see whether it works for you, but you should always be sure to follow your doctor’s orders and the medications they offer.
People also use topical capsaicin to help with pain relief. It works in much the same way, except in a localized area. It produced the heat and the pain, which causes the body to release endorphins. This can help with different types of ailments, including arthritis and diabetic neuropathy. It could be something that you want to try. There are many reasons to enjoy spicy food and to use capsaicin supplements in addition to the release of the endorphins.